China using militia boats to ramp up war readiness

WESTERN PACIFIC: Taiwanese officials believe China is practicing for a possible maritime blockade using overlapping military, paramilitary and civilian assets By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEI China is combining militia vessels with coast guard ships to expand “battlefield preparation” around Taiwan and into the western Pacific, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said, warning the operations were also putting pressure on Japan and the Philippines. Responding to a Reuters exclusive this month on the first known sighting of a Chinese militia boat off Taiwan’s Pacific coast in the middle of August, the CGA said it had dispatched a…